30s Male Returning from China Dies of Pneumonia Symptoms, COVID-19 Test 'Negative' (Update)

Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] A man in his 30s who had traveled to China last month died on the 18th due to pneumonia symptoms, and the health authorities' diagnostic test for the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) came back negative.

The Central Disease Control Headquarters of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced in a notice on the afternoon of the same day, "The COVID-19 test result related to the death of the man in his 30s is negative."

According to the police and fire authorities, the Korean man was found unconscious and not breathing around 9:05 a.m. in Gwanak-gu, Seoul, and was transported to a hospital but died around 10:30 a.m. Signs of bleeding were found in his lungs, and he showed pneumonia symptoms. According to the quarantine authorities' confirmation, the man had traveled with his family to Hainan, China last month. Accordingly, the health authorities conducted a specimen test for COVID-19, and the result showed no viral infection.

Jung Eun-kyung, director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said at an earlier regular briefing on COVID-19, "The man was treated only in the cardiopulmonary resuscitation area within the emergency room, and disinfection measures were taken in that area."

Besides the man in his 30s who died in Gwanak-gu on the same day, there were other cases of people with overseas travel history who died and underwent COVID-19 diagnostic tests. All results were negative.

On the previous day (the 17th), a man in his 40s who had traveled to Vietnam died at Busan Medical Center. Considering his overseas travel history, the health authorities temporarily closed the hospital emergency room and requested a COVID-19 test, which also came back negative.

On the 13th, a man in his 40s with a recent travel history to China died in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. His COVID-19 test was also negative. He had traveled to Qingdao, China on the 30th of last month. The authorities stated, "It is suspected to be a case of death due to stroke."